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David Dobrik slammed for 'perfectly edited' second apology video amid Vlog Squad sexual assault controversy

'David dobrik is not sorry he's just sorry he got caught he would've never apologized if he wasn't getting cancelled stop calling him genuine' said a livid social media user

YouTuber David Dobrik posted an apology to his podcast channel on March 16, 2021, where he addressed rape and sexual assault allegations against former and current members of his Vlog Squad crew. Now the YouTuber has once again on Tuesday, March 23, posted another apology video for “cowardly” replying in the first one.

Dobrik left the board of his photo-sharing app Dispo after a former member of his online comedy crew was accused of rape. His departure was the latest fallout from the allegations against his longtime friend Dominykas Zeglaitis aka Durte Dom, who was part of Dobrik’s Vlog Squad before leaving the group in 2019.

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What are the allegations?

Earlier, allegations from a woman who revealed that she was raped during the filming of a 2018 Vlog Squad video that was posted on Dobrik's channel, said that she was given alcohol by Vlog Squad members and became intoxicated to the point of blacking out. She later revealed that she was involved in group sex with Dominykas Zeglaitis (aka Durte Dom) that she could not consent to. The video, which does not explicitly show the alleged incident, was published on Dobrik’s channel and later removed. 

In February 2021, former Vlog Squad member Seth Francois spoke out and said that he had been duped into kissing Dobrik's right-hand man, Jason Nash, in a 2017 video. Francois stated that it was nonconsensual and was sexual assault, as he was under the delusion that he would be kissing model and influencer Corinna Kopf, who would be wearing a mask, rather than Nash, a 45-year-old man. Dobrik, who is widely known for rarely addressing the controversy, titled the first video which he posted last week as "Lets talk" and now he has posted yet another apology video.

First apology video

In the first apology video posted by Dobrik he said, "Consent is something that's super, super important to me." He continued, "Whether I am shooting with a friend, or I am shooting with a stranger, I make sure whatever video I am putting out I have the approval from that person." Dobrik did not address the details of either set of allegations but referenced an accuser and an alleged participant. "With the Seth situation, I am sorry to Seth," Dobrik said. "I just want to make videos where everyone who is participating is enjoying and having a good time. I missed the mark with that one, and I am really sorry. I truly, truly am."

"I have been really disappointed with some of my friends, and for that reason, I have separated from a lot of them," he said, mentioning Zeglaitis specifically. He added that he does not "stand for any kind of misconduct." In the apology, Dobrik referenced "times when people change their mind," appearing to suggest that consent was withdrawn after the fact in certain situations involving his videos. Dobrik ended the video by saying his main purpose with his content is "to make people happy and inspire people." He said he was sorry for letting his fans down and that he's learned from his mistakes. "I also believe actions speak a lot louder than words," he said. "You can take my word for it that I'm going to change, but I will also show you and prove to you that mistakes I made before won't be happening again."

Second apology video

Dobrik released a second apology video on Tuesday, March 23, apologizing for his “cowardly” original response released late last week.

“I fully believe the woman that came out against Dom and said she was sexually assaulted by him,” he said. “I got consent to post the video, but even though I got consent, I should have never posted it. What I understand now…is she sent that text because she felt like she had to, and that’s f**ked up. It was cowardly of me to say that I ‘missed the mark’ [in the first apology video],” he added, “because it’s f**king gross. I’m sorry.” The YouTube star revealed he would be “taking a short break” from social media. “It doesn’t feel right to go back to posting like I have been, and it also doesn’t feel right to go dark, because I love what I do, but it’s important to show that change is possible, and that I’m learning. Maybe even forgiveness is possible,” he said. “I also want to add that I’m making myself available to anyone that wants to reach out that I’ve hurt in the past. I want to hear and understand. I will also be reaching out to some people on my own, I still have a lot of learning to do.”

Dobrik further apologized saying: “I’m sorry that I took Dom’s word for what happened in those certain situations and I didn’t believe you,” he said. "Not only that I didn’t believe you, but I made a joke out of what kind of a person Dom was. I couldn’t wrap my head around a childhood friend of mine doing this to people and actually hurting people and I’m sorry for that. Not only did I discredit you, but I platformed Dom, and I platformed the subject in a negative way where I made jokes about it. I reinforced that kind of behavior.
“I’m so sorry. I’ve let a lot of people down.”

Is David being sincere?

One person reacted to his apology video, saying: "David Dobrik's second apology is perfectly edited, I think he's sincere to certain amount tho I dont believe for a second he didn't know the power he held. Glad he at least acknowledged his past apologies were awful. Reminder that this apology is not for any of you to accept btw." While another one wrote: "As genuine as David Dobrik’s apology may seem, It took him three years to address it and it was only because he got caught. The topic of people with friends who are assaulters needs to be platformed."

Slamming him, another one said: "David dobrik is not sorry he's just sorry he got caught he would've never apologized if he wasn't getting cancelled stop calling him genuine." While another one tweeted: "@DavidDobrik finally putting out a video addressing things after he is losing sponsors is just not helping him. He should have been more genuine and spoke out sooner. All the people that have been hurt by the dangerous scenarios he put them in deserved better."